


The love, the dark, the light, the flame

by sunshinelollipop



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Angst, Creepy Forest, I have no idea how to tag, M/M, Suicidal Thoughts, mark lee is dead, pls read :(, sorryyy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-17
Updated: 2020-06-17
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:02:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24762802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunshinelollipop/pseuds/sunshinelollipop
Summary: He pulled himself into a sitting position, reaching to the nightstand to turn the lamp on. He stared silently at the wall in front of him with no emotion. This had been the third night in a row with the same nightmare. It didn’t make sense to him. He stole a glance at the window covered by thick black curtains.Donghyuck pushed himself off the bed and walked towards the window. His hand hovered over the curtain but retracted his hand after hesitating for a few seconds. This is ridiculous, he thought to himself. There is nothing out there.
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Na Jaemin, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee
Comments: 4
Kudos: 16





	The love, the dark, the light, the flame

Donghyuck raised himself from the ground stretching his back which was aching from all the hours he had spent laying on the floor. He stared at the empty bed with no emotion in his eyes, every time he looked at the bed he was reminded of him, he was reminded that he was alone now and that he will never see the love of his life once again.

“Haechan?” A voice called out from the living room, the boy blinked as he was pulled out of his thoughts and quickly stood up as the footsteps got closer to the bedroom he was in. The door was pulled open, revealing a bubblegum haired boy who simply sighed and pulled Donghyuck out of the room.

Donghyuck followed him with sluggish moves his exhaustion was clear in his face and his sunken cheeks showed he had not eaten in days. It wasn’t like it was on purpose, he had been busy with his job and spent most of his time out of the house.

The house wasn’t his anyway.

Jaemin pulled him into the kitchen setting him on a chair where he could watch him cook.

A few minutes of silence passed as the pink-haired boy moved around the kitchen until he broke it with a simple question.

“How have you been holding up Hyuckie?” His voice as soft and he looked at him with caution, almost as if he thought Donghyuck was going to break down at any moment.

“I’m fine,” Donghyuck barked narrowing his eyes, “Is this what you came for? Because I’m fine Jaemin”

And he was, really. He just needed more time to adjust to living in the house alone.

Jaemin tilted his head pressing his lips together before sighing and turning around to finish his cooking. “I’m just worried Duckie,” he said quietly, just loud enough for Hyuck to hear. “Ever since Mark died you completely closed yourself off, everyone is scared you might consider doing something dumb”

Donghyuck winced at the mention of his ex-boyfriend. He had been trying to ignore all his emotions, even if that meant ignoring the fact that his boyfriend of 6 years had died. He knew it wasn’t healthy, but it was his usual way to cope. Mark was the one who made him confront his problems, but he was gone and there was nothing they could do.

The boy responded with a hum; his eyes set on the sight behind his kitchen window. It was the reason why they had moved here, Mark wanted somewhere quiet where he could write his lyrics and Donghyuck was eager to please him. At that moment he didn’t mind living next to the forest, he had Mark next to him to protect him if anything happened.

Maybe he could move to the city once again, he thought to himself. Going back to his brother’s old apartment would be tedious but the guys could help him move.

He turned to look at Jaemin, a sad smile appearing on his face once he noticed the heavy bags under his friend’s eyes. He had a smile on his face as he rambled about something that had happened at his work, but his eyes betrayed him. He was broken too; he had lost his closest friend.

Donghyuck knew his friend was in pain, he was missing his best friend, and yet he couldn’t bring himself to talk about it with him. How could he help him if he wasn’t much better? Jaemin was the one who set him and Mark together. He was there in every step of their relationship and now that Mark was gone, everything felt wrong.

When Jaemin finished his cooking, he made his way next to Donghyuck and sit down as he offered his friend a plate filled with steaming food. A heavy silence appeared in the room, it made Donghyuck fidget on his seat shifting from one side to another as he looked for something to break the suffocating silence between him and his friend.

“How is your new job Hyuckie?” Jaemin asked seemingly noticing the distress on Donghyuck’s stance.

The boy winced at the question. “It could be better,” he replied as he played with his food.” What about you,” he wondered, “How is everything going with Renjun?”

Jaemin grinned at the mention of the other boy, a blush appearing on his face along with the smile. “We are doing great!” he giggled, the bright spark that appeared on his eyes telling more than enough.

Donghyuck smiled as his friend continued the conversation about his boyfriend, Renjun. He couldn’t help but feel nostalgic seeing that he used to act the same way when someone asked him about Mark. His brother would always say that he always had a big dumb smile on his face and some heart eyes when he talked about his boyfriend. He finally understood what he meant as he watched Jaemin rambling about something that Renjun had done.

He was happy Jaemin had someone he could lean on, especially in times like this when he needed it. Renjun was nice and always made sure Jaemin took care of himself. Always reminding him to eat something and to keep himself hydrated.

It was cute, Donghyuck thought to himself as he finally let himself smile.

They spent the rest of the afternoon talking and catching up with each other, the heaviness that he had been holding for so long disappearing for a moment. But soon enough it was time for Jaemin to leave. “Duckie, if you ever need anything you know you can call me, okay?” Jaemin assured his friend, earning a nod from the shorter and a small goodbye. The pink-haired boy smiled sadly, leaning to kiss his friend on the cheek before leaving.

Donghyuck stood on the doorstep watching his friend pull out of his driveway and finally leaving. He cast a glance to the woods a shiver running down his spine when he crossed eyes with bright amber eyes. He took a step backward in shock, his eyes widened as he quickly blinked hoping that those amber eyes were nothing but his imagination.

Just as he hoped, the eyes disappeared with a blink of an eye. He shuddered a breath of relief turning his back to the woods and walking with shaky legs to the entrance of the house completely unaware of those bright eyes watching him from the darkness of the woods.

He entered his home with a heavy heart. Talking with his friend had drained him completely and now he was just aching for a hot shower and a long night sleep. He dragged his feet to the second floor and made his way to the closest bathroom. His arms and legs were aching from exhaustion. He had taken extra hours at the shop where he had started working as a reason to stay away from the house that brought so many memories of his ex-boyfriend.

Donghyuck undressed himself stealing a glance at his reflection before entering the shower and turning the freezing water on. He felt himself relax, the tension on his shoulders slowly disappearing. The only aching left was in his heart. He stood in the falling water for what seemed like hours, letting his mind wander to all the memories he had in this house. Everything still seemed like some kind of nightmare that he was still waiting to wake up from. It was hard to be in a house where the silence reigned when he was used to it being filled with music and laughter.

-

“I don’t know Mark, this house gives me the creeps,”

Mark rolled his eyes as he crossed his arms. “Hyuck we’ve been looking for houses for weeks and none of them are up to your standard.”

Donghyuck pouted with slumped shoulders. He just wanted their house to be perfect for them.

With a sigh, Donghyuck looked around the house and he couldn’t help but admit that it was beautiful. It wasn’t as big as the last two houses they saw but it had its charm. He could see himself living happily in this house if it wasn’t because of the creepy forest in front of it.

Donghyuck wasn’t, by all means, a scaredy-cat but there just was something from those woods that made him uneasy. Maybe it was the darkness that seemed to surround it or the fact that all kinds of creatures could be living there. He just didn’t like it.

He turned to his boyfriend who was talking to the real estate agent, he seemed pretty happy with the house. He really seemed to love it.

Maybe I’m making a big deal out of nothing, he thought to himself. The house is beautiful and it's just the perfect size for the two of us. It has everything Mark was looking for, maybe I can suck it up.

They proceeded to explore the house. Mark was listening to everything the real state agent said while Donghyuck stared quietly at his surroundings.

It really was a beautiful house.

He turned to the window and was greeted with two bright eyes staring at him from the wood.

-

Donghyuck woke up with a jump. His heart was beating rapidly, and he was struggling to catch his breath. He turned his head to the side and looked at the clock who showed the hour with white bright lights.

3 am

Donghyuck slumped back into the pillows with a groan. He was too tired for this bullshit.

He willed his heart to calm down, barely being able to catch his breath. The yellow orbs imprinted on his mind. These dreams hunted him ever since he moved into this house. Mark used to calm him down, he always made sure to keep his mind busy from wandering to the awful nightmares that seemed to plague him at night.

He pulled himself into a sitting position, reaching to the nightstand to turn the lamp on. He stared silently at the wall in front of him with no emotion. This had been the third night in a row with the same nightmare. It didn’t make sense to him. He stole a glance at the window covered by thick black curtains.

Donghyuck pushed himself off the bed and walked towards the window. His hand hovered over the curtain but retracted his hand after hesitating for a few seconds. This is ridiculous, he thought to himself. There is nothing out there.

With a sigh, he walked to the bathroom and stood in front of the mirror. He was so so tired, he just wished it had been him and not Mark. He knew that it had been an accident, the car had lost control and hit Mark’s car. He died immediately, they said he didn’t feel anything but if he hadn’t asked Mark to pick him up then he would still be here. He would still be able to hold him in his arms, god he wished he could still hold him tight.

But he wasn’t here anymore, he wasn’t here because of him. He killed Mark.

Tears blurred his vision as a sob broke through his throat. He couldn’t do this. He couldn’t live knowing he killed the love of his life.

He reached for Mark’s old razor struggling to pull it apart with clumsy hands when he was stopped by a familiar voice.

He was screaming his name.

Mark was screaming for help.

Donghyuck scrambled to the window his heart was beating so fast he thought he was close to having a heart attack. He knew it was Mark, it was so easy to recognize his voice seeing that he had known him since they were kids. He pulled the curtain away and there in front of the forest was a pool of bright crimson liquid. His blood ran cold as his breathing became labored and even if it wasn’t Mark, someone needed his help. He quickly ran to the stairs almost stumbling down at the last steps.

He ran out of the door and into the forest when he heard the screams once again. He followed them running deeper and deeper into the forest and as he advanced, his surroundings became darker and darker. And then nothing.

No screams.

No sound.

Nothing.

It was then when he realized he was alone in the forest with nothing but a small razor on his hand. A shiver went down his back as he felt the eyes on him. The darkness was taunting him, the shadows were dancing around him and the only thing he could hear was his breathing.

I’m gonna die here, Donghyuck mused in realization. It didn’t seem that bad, better than bleeding out from your wrists that’s for sure. Nobody would be able to find him here, maybe they’ll think he ran away. This was good, he concluded as he made peace with his fate.

But once again a shrill scream tore the silence startling him from his thoughts. It was a woman scream, he realized in horror.

He walked with caution as he held the razor tighter. The scream didn’t sound that far away, he thought looking around with caution. It had to be somewhere around here.

Soon enough he caught a glimpse of blood darkening the soil near a tree, he walked carefully trying not to make a sound. Small yelps of pain could be heard as he got closer. The splashes of darken soil becoming bigger and bigger.

A gasp left his mouth once his eyes fell on a small fox yelping in pain. He was laying on the ground surrounded by a pool of its own blood. He was missing a back leg and various patches of fur here and there. He walked closer to the wounded animal who tried to scoot away from him in fear.

Donghyuck felt his heartbreak as the animal let another cry of pain.

He couldn’t let this animal die in such pain, he thought with a wince. He slowly crouched down putting the razor next to him and grabbing the closest rock around him. He was going to end his suffering. With that thought on his head, he raised his hand over the fox’s head before plunging the rock into the animal’s skull. The crack resonated throughout the forest and the whimpers of pain stopped with a halt. He stared at the animal in horror, he couldn’t believe what he had done.

He scrambled away from the corpse staring at his hands in shock. He really killed it.

“Donghyuck?” A familiar voice called out from behind him making him freeze in horror. “Baby what did you do?” Mark asked him with caution.

Donghyuck could only gape at the sight of his dead ex-boyfriend. This had to be a nightmare. He clasped his hands over his head as he shook his head side from side frantically. “You are not real,” he mumbled to himself as he closed his eyes tightly. “You can’t be real,” he said opening his eyes and stared wide-eyed at the brunette who was looking at him in concern.

“Hyuckie what did you do?” Mark said curling his lip as he looked at him, “Did killing me wasn’t enough?” he questioned making the other boy freeze.

Donghyuck stuttered trying to explain himself. He didn’t mean to hurt the fox, he was trying to save him from all the pain he was going to suffer alone. He wasn’t a bad person. But no matter how much tried to explain himself, Mark kept the look of disgust on his face. He wouldn’t listen no matter how many times he tries to explain himself.

“Are you happy now Hyuck?” Mark said with a patronizing smile, “are you happy knowing you’ve not only taken my life but also an innocent creature’s life too?”

Donghyuck shook his head rapidly as tears fell down his face. He wanted this nightmare to stop. He backed away from the boy in terror. Mark had a tight-lipped smile on his face as he stared at the boy, he took a step forward with a wide stance. He tilted his head to one side and spoke once again.

“Why are you still lying to yourself? You did this Donghyuck,” he was getting closer and closer, his face was flushed in what it seemed to anger and he was crinkling his nose. “Look at me Donghyuck! Look at what you did to me.” He was yelling now, his voice echoing throughout the forest. Donghyuck shook his head and closed his eyes as a sob escaped his mouth.

Hands cradled his face, forcing his eyes open just to stare right back at the yellow eyes that hunted his nights. In front of him was a distorted version of what his boyfriend used to be. His skin was so pale you could see his veins popping out, there was blood dripping down his forehead where a piece of glass was stuck. The thing had a condescending smile on his face as he looked down on him. Donghyuck was shaking in fear, staring back at those soulless eyes.

“What are you?” Donghyuck whispered in fear.

The thing’s smile became wider, exposing sharp razor teeth covered in blood. He leaned closer to him and spoke into his ear. “I am your biggest fear.”

The boy cried out in pain as the creature pushed his claws on the sides of Donghyuck’s face. The thing smiled widely at the noise he let out and quickly pushed Donghyuck into the ground, his face contorting into something else. The face that once was his boyfriend was now a humanoid creature with no eyes, its face was flat with only two small holes where the nose should be and the mouth filled with razor teeth. His extremities were becoming longer and thinner, almost as if he had snakes as arms. Donghyuck gagged as he watched the thing transform, he had to get out.

He pushed himself away, crawling backward until he hit the trunk of a tree. He tried to pull himself up but his legs were weak and couldn’t support the weight of his body. The creature lunged at the boy with a screech grabbing his ankle and pulling him closer. His jaw unhinging before closing in on the boy’s leg.

Donghyuck screamed out in pain, his eyes tearing up as the creature ripped the muscle of his leg. He lifted his other leg and kicked the thing face before scrambling away from it and cradling his leg as tears fell down his face.

“Where are you going Duckie?” the creature said with a manic laugh, “I’ve been waiting for this for a long long time.”

Donghyuck kept a safe distance between the thing and him, blinking away the tears and gasping for air. The thing jumped on him once away, his face centimeters away from his own. It started unhinging his mouth, Donghyuck eyes widening in horror as he stretched his arms trying to reach for whatever could help to get the thing off of him. His hands came in contact with a branch, not taking more than a few seconds before plunging the stick on the creature’s head.

It screeched in pain and pulled away from the boy. Donghyuck rolled over and pulled himself up with help of the trunk of a tree. He pushed himself away from the thing and ran as fast as he could pushing his way through the trees. His leg felt like he was on fire but he couldn’t let himself slow down, scared that the monster would be able to catch him.

He was losing blood way to fast and his head was killing him. He could almost feel his life draining away from him but he couldn’t help but keep trying. He didn’t want to die, Donghyuck realized.

He wanted to live, he wanted to be held by his brother once again.

Donghyuck slumped his body on a tree, he couldn’t keep walking. It hurt too much. With a resigned sigh, he rested his head on the trunk. He slowly slid down to the floor, his vision was blurry but he could still see the star shining upon the sky. He smiled at the sky knowing he was minutes away from going back to his lover’s arms.

But when he thought it was over, a shadow loomed over his sight covering the bright stars. He opened his mouth to speak but he was too weak to actually make any sound. He person crouched and his face became clearer. It was Jaemin.

“Donghyuck help is on the way, I need you to stay awake okay?”

Tears blurred his vision as he tried to nod, he felt relief fill his body as he realized he was saved.

Behind the pink-haired boy, the silhouette of a boy could be seen. One of his hands was inside the pocket of his hoodie and on the other hand, he held a phone. Mark smiled tenderly at the sight of the two boys before letting the phone fall and walking away into the bright light shone by the moon.

**Author's Note:**

> "Deer in the chase  
> There as I flew  
> Forgot all prayers of joining you.  
> I clutched my life  
> And wished it kept.  
> My dearest love, I'm not done yet  
> How many years  
> I know I'll bear  
> I found something in the woods somewhere."


End file.
